In light of the fact that Brittney Griner was held captive in Russia for over ten months, the mere fact that she was given the opportunity to participate in the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 was already a victory for her.
After the United States women’s basketball team defeated France 67-66, the WNBA star, who is 33 years old, said that she shed tears as the “Star Spangled Banner” played. She said that she was overcome with emotion since it was a moment that she had not anticipated having the opportunity to witness.

“If I were to return, my nation would fight for me. Additionally, I was successful in bringing gold back to my nation. According to Yahoo Sports, the Phoenix Mercury player expressed his satisfaction with the victory on August 11th, saying, “There is simply no greater feeling.”

Despite the fact that this is Griner’s third gold medal in the Olympics, she said that her feelings were “all over the place,” because she believed that this particular medal will “hold a special place among the other two.”

She was quoted as saying, “I didn’t think I would be here,” according to Yahoo Sports.

The athlete reportedly contributed four points and two rebounds during the game, and she attributed the victory to her newborn baby, Bash. That information comes from the website Olympics.com. In the month of July, Griner and her wife, Cherelle Griner, became parents to Bash.

It has been more than two years since she was held in Russia on February 17, 2022, when a customs dog purportedly discovered vape cartridges carrying cannabis oil in her carry-on luggage. The victory comes after she was not allowed to leave the country. Griner was originally given a sentence of nine years in jail; however, on December 8, 2022, she was freed out of prison as a result of a prisoner exchange.

When Griner was interviewed by PEOPLE in May, she said that her incarceration had caused her to be afraid of going to other countries.

My wife and I used to take pleasure in traveling to Mexico for a short period of time. I’m simply saying, “No, I’m not going to be able to pull it off.” It is possible for us to visit a beach in the United States. This location has a large number of beaches. Once upon a time, there were nations that I want to see, but not at this time,” she said.

The basketball superstar, on the other hand, said to People that she would be willing to go to Paris for the Olympics since “the same country that brought me home would protect its Olympic athletes.”